1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of a storage system and a virtual interface management method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In managing business host computers (which may also be referred to as host computers or hosts hereafter), a volume of a storage apparatus is required to be assigned to each of the hosts. One of the environments for assigning a volume to a storage apparatus for each host is a storage system in the SAN (Storage Area Network).
In the storage system in the SAN environment, a data transfer method called an FC (Fibre Channel) is used. In the SAN environment using the FC, an HBA (Host Bus Adapter) is used as a network adapter in a network between the host and the SUN.
Japanese Published Patent Application No.2007-310495 discloses a computing system in which a data can be moved by logical units in a configuration change in a computer system to which a storage virtualization technology is applied, while suppressing performance deterioration of the storage system.
In the conventional storage system in the SAN environment, settings of HBAs are necessary according the number of hosts. As the number of hosts increases along with usage of a larger-scaled storage system, the number of settings of HBAs also increases. In particular, if a plurality of hosts uses a single work application, the settings of HBAs are required to be performed repeated times to one storage apparatus. This causes problems such as an increase in the number of settings of man-hour and a complicated management in operating the system after the settings.
Additionally, if a change in a configuration of the SAN environment is necessary, such as an addition of a new host, settings of connection between a host and a storage apparatus, that is, settings of HBAs, are indispensable. However, the conventional system has a problem that a storage administrator needs to set HBAs each time a new host is added.
The present invention has been made in light of the background as described above and in an attempt to facilitate a setting of assignment between a host computer and a storage apparatus.